We have a whole load of these things now the snow is going. We are also just north of germany and are expecting bird flu to come our way as it gets warmer. Is there any chance that herons can transmit it as much as ducks as unfortunatly they have died nearby where the kids play?

Well, Tim, these are some very beautiful photos of very beautiful birds. I really like herons a lot!
(AND I like your background colour, yippieh! Green!)
As long as you don't touch them when you find a dead bird, you won't catch the disease.
The worst that can happen to our countries here, where the average person's contact with birds is a lot more limited than it is in many Asian countries, is that the farm birds catch the disease. That may ruin many a farmer because in that case his entire flock (is that the word?) would need to be killed. I don't know in how far they get compensation money... but I am not worried about us people, not really.

Yes, I see herons in the meadows on the side of the road sometimes. But that is on that stretch where I can impossibly stop the car on the verge. I'd get killed by a big lorry instantly... But we have them.

There is a disabled guy here who has become locally famous because he spends all his allowence buying herring and other bits of fish and hand feeding the herons here, before he started they were really shy and the colony kept to its self, now they go around chasing people with anything that looks like a fish in their hands. Really strange but elegant birds, and nice to actually find out what their personality is like when they have got over their fear of humans, they are actually quite cheaky if still a little shy. I havnt seen him for a while but hope that is not why some of them have died.
In the 1918 bird (russian) flu it was about 1% of the total population that died, so even at its worst it is not likly to have a way of life changing effect, but even that would mean 1:100 of the people we know would die 2 where i work, so not exceptionally nice.
I agree these are exceptionally beautiful birds, and it would be so sad to see many of them go or worse get shot, especially as most wildlife that is actually observable is avian. Anyway thanks for the words all and LaFoto, i will try and find soemthing green to take a pic of soon, it will be interesting to see how the ccd copes, it was bad on yellow and red but good on blue , oops rambling, better get back to work...